The emergence of companies that offer prospective parents complex genetic tests on embryos ahead of in vitro fertilization (IVF) has alarmed geneticists and bioethicists alike.
The companies claim to be able to predict the risk of many common diseases — including those influenced by dozens or even hundreds of genes.
People undergoing IVF are then offered the chance to select an embryo with a perceived low relative risk of developing such diseases.
Researchers are right to be concerned. The selection of embryos on the basis of these predictions is not yet supported by science.
Moreover, the societal implications of using complex genetic tests to choose embryos has not yet been fully considered.
These tests demand a broader societal discussion. By nature of their complexity, polygenic risk scores also open the door to evaluating not only disease risk, but traits such as height or intelligence.
At present, not enough is known about the genetic contributors to such traits to develop meaningful tests that would allow prospective parents to select embryos.
But those data are on the way and the technology is going to move quickly — it is well past time to discuss how far it should go.
